Dear Frontline Responders Legal Helpline volunteer,

Thank you so much for your participation in this important initiative. We wanted to check in and share an update, now that the Frontline Responders Legal Helpline has been up and running for a few weeks.

We have had a truly amazing response from lawyers volunteering their services, and we can’t tell you how grateful we are to you for that. The response has been so great, in fact, that we haven’t yet been able to match each volunteer with a frontline responder. If you haven’t heard from us with a referral, that’s why. But don’t worry—we are working hard to spread the word about this new program, and more calls continue to come in every day.

In the meantime, we wanted to share stories from some of your colleagues who have already connected with frontline responders:

“My office is a block away from HF Macomb and it is frustrating to know that there is a building so close to mine, filled with some of my clients, or friends and family of clients, and I can't do much to help. So, I was happy to see SBM offer an opportunity to help those professionals that are fearlessly serving those who I can't. I was contacted by Anthony from the Frontline Responders Legal Helpline who was interested in getting some basic estate planning tools in place in the event he became medically compromised through his work. We offered pro bono legal services wherein he executed POAs for finance and medical and a Last Will and Testament which I could tell gave him some long needed peace of mind . . . Being able to assist him as he goes through these care provider unknowns was the best part of my day that day. Proud to be an attorney, and proud to be a member of SBM!”—Charles Regan Shaw

“I was matched with a COVID-19 nurse named Karen through the program. It was an extremely easy and rewarding experience. We were able to communicate through phone, email, and my online portal to get client information, goals, and set the design for the plan. It was sobering hearing the stories of what she encounters every day and I was happy to provide what peace of mind that I could for her through the estate planning documents. I provided a Will, Powers of Attorney for financial and healthcare decision making, HIPAA Release, a Memorandum for Personal Property, and a deed conveying her home in the event of her death. Karen was extremely grateful and was constantly thanking me for helping her, while I was constantly telling her that it was my pleasure and that I was the one who owed her thanks for her bravery and diligence in the face of this pandemic . . . I was so happy to be able to do a little something to help Karen and I look forward to helping others as they come through the program. We all need to do what we can right now to get through this. I’m glad the State Bar of Michigan has offered this program and am honored to be part of it.”—Daniel H. Serlin

Thank you again for your willingness to participate in the Frontline Responders Legal Helpline. We will continue to check in with updates as we have them, but in the meantime please email if you have any questions.

Don’t forget:

• If you are new to this practice area, ICLE has generously made available free resources and training for lawyers involved in the Frontline Responders Legal Helpline. Those resources provide guidance on drafting simple wills, durable powers of attorney, patient advocate designation documents, and directions on new remote notarization procedures. If you would like access to these resources, please let us know by emailing covid19@michbar.org and we will share them with you.
• Our goal is to make sure every frontline responder in the state hears about this program. If you'd like to help spread the word on your social networks, we have some images you can download and share here, as well as SBM posts you can share on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.